I’m a Chinese (have an Australian PR), and my Australian hubby wants to purchase an apartment in Sydney as an investment property. We are looking to borrow in the range of 800,000 AUD.

I’m a graphic designer and earn HKD 3,000 monthly. My husband is executive chef of a 5-star hotel and earns HKD 11,5000 per month plus some expat benefits and bonuses. How much can we borrow to buy the property?

Since you’re earning an income in a foreign currency, the first thing you’ll have to work out is whether your currency will be accepted. But, Hong Kong Dollar is an acceptable currency and falls under Tier 1 currency, so it shouldn’t be an issue.

Australian expats in Hong Kong are common and Australian banks regularly deal with Hong Kong Dollars (HKD) because of that. If you earn a living in HKD, then it’s highly likely that you can get approved for a home loan.

Although the process of getting a 90% is not as simple as it used to be, you can still get one as long as you can meet standard lending criteria. However, if you're buying an unusual or specialised properties type then it will usually not be acceptable to most lenders.

Please enquire online or call us on 1300 889 743 and check if you qualify or not.

It should be a relief for you to know that Australian banks and lenders assess the income of Australian expats in Hong Kong just as any other Australian resident.

If you’re borrowing less than 80% LVR, some lenders may accept a letter from your employer as proof of your foreign income. Since you’re borrowing more than 80%, you have to provide other documents as well.

In those circumstances, you can generally prove your Hong Kong income by providing: